Which 4x4 should I buy : Thinking out aloud. EDIT : Finalised on a white Gypsy!

Which 4x4 should I buy : Thinking out aloud. EDIT : Finalised on a white Gypsy!

This is a discussion on Which 4x4 should I buy : Thinking out aloud. EDIT : Finalised on a white Gypsy! within 4x4 Vehicles, part of the 4x4 & Off-Roading category; Delivery Day for me tomorrow!!! Picking it up first thing in the morning. Getting the Tires swapped and then heading ...

Delivery Day for me tomorrow!!! Picking it up first thing in the morning. Getting the Tires swapped and then heading out to order the seats. I have decided on the Skoda Laura seats that were in the red gypsy. They were absolutely astonishing!

Raj - I'll scout around and let you know the prices. Working all week so I have to maximize my time tomorrow. Seats, Bull-Bars, Stereo etc.

I could barely sleep last night knowing that I would be climbing into and driving away in my own Gypsy in the morning. Woke up at 5:00am and forced myself to sleep. I had to force my mind to dream about other less interesting stuff...like this gorgeous girl I am secretly infatuated with, among other things. Woke up again at 7:00am and jumped out of bed with a smile. Showered and started on breakfast and by 9:00am I was rearing to go. That was when I got a call from the dealership that my delivery was being moved to 11:30am due to delays at the dealership thanks to the enormous volume of vehicles being moved on Gudi Padwa. No a big deal

10:00am we left home and what a picture it was! My friend Ashutosh, brother Sriku (sriku on Teambhp) and I all stuffed into a tiny Maruti Alto tearing up the eastern express highway from Thane to Lower Parel (Sai Service). We got there at 11:00am and luckily most of the work was done by then. It seems like no matter how well you plan things, the dealership always HAS to cause delays. It is impossible to buy a new car and take delivery without spending at least 2 hours at the dealership. Such a waste of time!!

Thankfully the dealership had planned for this well and they served breakfast with a constant supply of water and other beverages so we were upset...but not complaining too loudly. Finally at 12:00am we were ready to go after all the paperwork was done and we drove straight to BKC in two cars (The Gypsy and the Alto) to pick up another friend. Together we drove to Saifee Tyres in Santa Cruz (Podar School Road) to get the BFGs fitted.

Tire Fitting:

Now I suck at bargaining and Saifee offered me 1700 for each of my stock tires. No problems here. The main issue was that they were out of BFGs and only had the Yokohamas in stock. Looks like all the advice I was getting from KSM and the others had reached God and he made sure that I would end up with Yokohama rubber and not BFG. Got the Yoko 215-75-R15 all around (5 tires). Saifee initially wanted 4900 for the Yokos while other dealers were offering it to me at 5000 (Crown - who finally offered them at 4600 and Infinity @Milan Subway who offered them at 4400. Neither of them had the tires in stock and the buy-back prices were about the same). I negotiated at saifee without being too aggressive and instead of 16000 including the exchange, I settled at 15000. This would include Tubeless valves, balancing and fitting. This whole exercise was done in about an hour and while the work was being done, we headed out for lunch at Sheetal Bukhara (Santa Cruz).

Got back in to see my Yoko shod Gypsy gleaming in the sunlight...a picture of muscle!

Tires done, I decided to head back home but remembered that I had to visit my Uncle in Goregaon so headed there in the Gypsy. Man the city roads are absolutely rubbish! Easter express highway is so nice in comparison. Finished up at Goregaon and headed back to Thane via Ghodbunder road and thats where the qualities of the Gypsy came through. All those bad patches were traversed with arrogance while the lesser cars had to slow down as the drivers puckered their rear-ends at the thought of what their suspension would go through

Got into Thane and headed straight to the temple for a quick Puja before parking up at home. Showered and settled down to type this out for those following this thread.

Initial Impressions:

It feels SO different to drive a brand new Gypsy! Everything is so tight and together. The gearbox feels clean and the shifts are reasonably precise. The steering is incredibly stiff and I had a much easier time steering Imran's Gypsy. I am hoping that the mechanism will loosen up over time...either that or I build up muscles to cope with the increased steering forces needed here.

The engine also feels tightly wound and although I don't exactly follow manufacturer prescribed run-in, I do vary revs through the range and give the engine time to cool down. I spoke to another Gypsy owner who got his brand new as well and he told me that the engine frees up considerably and gets revvier after the 3000-4000km mileage.

There are some weird sounds coming through from various parts of the car...like a different one every-time. Again the other owner informed me that this is normal and the noises show up and go away after the first service at which point of time, entirely new noises show up. The Gypsy makes noises and it is an orchestra when it comes to variety and timing.

Truth be told it was harder work than I was expecting, especially considering the ease with which I drove Imran's Gypsy. I guess the newness of the parts and the mating surfaces just getting to know each other contributes to this stiff feeling. I'll just man up to the task and learn to enjoy it while it lasts

Congrats Buddy. I havent been following your thread but I feel that a hard top has more benefits than a soft top. It you are tripping, you can atleast lock your stuff in the gypsy without the worry of stuff getting stolen.
Is it with ac & ps....?

Vkool/Llumar all around should help in cabin heat reduction in the summer.

Woah.. Congratulations Buddy.
Wish You the very best of Years to come with Your Gypsey
And please follow the running-time judiciously.

Tanks Rocky! Like I said, I just drive around normally during run-in. I don't exceed 80kph but thats pretty much all the attention I can focus on run-in. Not a big believer in the traditional run-in methods as they aren't relevant (I believe) beyond the initial 300kms. After that it is important to use the entire rev-range and heat-cycle the engine to get the best results. There are different schools of thought on this topic but to each his own.

Quote:

Originally Posted by jaysmokesleaves

Congrats Buddy. I feel that a hard top has more benefits than a soft top. It you are tripping, you can atleast lock your stuff in the gypsy without the worry of stuff getting stolen.
Is it with ac & ps....? Vkool/Llumar all around should help in cabin heat reduction in the summer.
So do you plan to inaugurate it offroad this weekend?

Thanks Jay! I needed the HT simply because of the Leh trip coming up in September. I'll use the HT until it falls off and then switch to a nice soft-top with a partition for the main cabin.

Going with vCool but I cannot put the film on until the AC goes in first because I need to keep the window open right now for air circulation. Once the AC goes in, vCool will go on as well. I am also getting the film for the windshield for UV rejection.

Reg this weekend's OTR: I am planning to go to the Bison sanctuary near Kolhapur this weekend. If that plan falls through then I'll join you guys for the OTR. Will confirm on Friday.

Thanks Raj! Looks exactly like yours with Yokos. When are you getting your tires da? BFG or Yokos? I wanted BFGs and got Yokos but I guess it is the more sensible option considering the highway miles I'll be racking up.

gsferrari, any steering difference you felt after the tyre swap to geo's from stock f-78?
And please post the interior pics of the gypsy with that headlight adjustment swtich.

Hi Amar - the steering feels just as heavy for standstill / low speed. I'd like to think it is slightly easier than stock but significant effort is still required. Once the vehicle is moving at 5kph+ then the effort is much less. The Yokos also catch grooves/edges in the road and change direction a little more than the stock tires. These are the negative points.

The positives are improved ride quality when you pressurize at 26 PSI in front and 24PSI in the rear. Ride quality over poor roads has also improved and oddly, the wayward handling characteristics that were experienced on decent roads goes away on bad roads. Here the Yokos keep straight and true while the stock tires used to move around a lot.

I would definitely go for a tire upgrade from stock but I do believe the BFG is easier at low speeds. But it is easier because it has a smaller contact patch and in the wet, I'd rather be running the Yokos. Monsoons aren't far away either

Brought it to work for the first time today. It is as good as coming to work on a bike without wearing a helmet because I was wind-swept and sweaty and had exhaust and pollution grime on my clothes. Took the Gypsy out for a spot of lunch and more sweat and pollution were the result.

I immediately called Mr.Sripadh and took the Gypsy to his workshop to show him a new vehicle and discuss the options. After much deliberation we decided that the best solution for me would be:

1. Subros 80cc compressor
2. Superking blower
3. Custom-channels to make the defrost vents operational (in the stock Gypsy they are just dummy vents)
4. Separate blower and heater coil below passenger seat with a connection to the defrost vents. This is a temporary setup which will be installed before I go to Leh and removed after I get back. The coolant pipes will be ordered separately and the originals will be retained for re-installation post-Leh.
5. Original viscous-clutch fan will be retained initially and if this is inadequate, electric fan will be installed.
6. Extra electric fan will be installed for the condensor

This way I get both heating and cooling and most importantly - Defrost.

Now I need to find a fabricator to make a partition behind the front seats to reduce cabin volume.

Sripad is sourcing a bigger variable compressor and custom bracket and these will be installed if I am not happy with the Subros setup.